Separator system for use in agricultural processing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025282651-A1
Application number	US-202519207275-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 13, 2025
Priority date	Nov 15, 2021
Publication date	Sep 11, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

An agricultural processing system includes a process that uses water and produces wastewater having insoluble solids, a pump configured to receive and pressurize the wastewater from the process, and a plurality of centrifugal separators connected in parallel and configured to receive the wastewater from the pump. The separators are each configured to separate out the insoluble solids from the wastewater to produce a cleaned wastewater.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An agricultural processing system, comprising:
a process that uses water and produces wastewater comprising insoluble solids; a first pump configured to receive and pressurize the wastewater from the process; a first centrifugal separator configured to receive the wastewater from the first pump and separate out at least a portion of the insoluble solids from the wastewater to produce a once-cleaned wastewater; a tank configured to receive and hold the once-cleaned wastewater; a second pump configured to receive and pressurize the once-cleaned wastewater from the tank; and a second centrifugal separator configured to receive the once-cleaned wastewater from the second pump and separate out at least a portion of the insoluble solids from the once-cleaned wastewater to produce a twice-cleaned wastewater.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the first centrifugal separator is configured to remove insoluble solids having at least a first diameter and the second centrifugal separator is configured to remove insoluble solids having at least a second diameter; and
wherein the second diameter is smaller than the first diameter.

3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first centrifugal separator or the second centrifugal separator comprises a plurality of centrifugal separators connected in parallel.

4 . A method of processing food, comprising:
contacting food workpieces with water to produce wastewater comprising insoluble solids dislodged from the workpieces; using a pump to direct the wastewater to a plurality of centrifugal separators; using the separators to remove at least a portion of the insoluble solids from the water to produce a cleaned wastewater; and recycling the cleaned wastewater.

5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the insoluble solids comprise animal feed, dirt, litter, fecal matter, viscera, entrails, skin, fats, and/or digesta.

6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein contacting the workpieces with water comprises immersing the workpieces in a chiller tank.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein recycling the cleaned wastewater comprises returning the cleaned wastewater to the chiller tank.

8 . The method of claim 5 , wherein contacting the workpieces with water comprises immersing the workpieces in a scalder.

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein recycling the cleaned wastewater comprises returning the cleaned wastewater to the scalder.

10 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the plurality of centrifugal separators is connected in series and each of the separators is identical.

Assignees

• Safe Foods Corp

Inventors

• Huff Steve
• Coleman Todd
• Dawson Douglas M
• Nguyen Anthony

Classifications

• C02F1/385

  by centrifuging suspensions (centrifuges B04B) · CPC title

• C02F2303/24

  Separation of coarse particles, e.g. by using sieves or screens · CPC title

• C02F2209/40

  Liquid flow rate · CPC title

• C02F2209/05

  Conductivity or salinity · CPC title

• C02F2209/02

  Temperature · CPC title